


Don't Throw It Away

by imthehotgirl



Category: 9-1-1 (TV), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Crossover, Established Relationship, First Kiss, Idiots in Love, M/M, Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-06 06:18:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21221975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imthehotgirl/pseuds/imthehotgirl
Summary: Eddie comes across Al's gym when he really needs it after dealing with certain things in his personal life he's just fed-up about. There he meets Diego and Klaus who help him (sort of) figure out his relationship with Buck.





	Don't Throw It Away

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically the 9-1-1/Umbrella Academy crossover fic that no one asked for, but I apparently needed? This is the kind of thing I delve into and write when I'm just beyond tired of the angst. And I've been writing a lot of angst lately. :P My mind was basically screaming at me to take a break and this was the result? It takes place shortly after the 9-1-1 Season 3 episode 'Rage' where I like to think Eddie and Buck finally figure things out. And after The Umbrella Academy Season 1 finale, Post-Apocalypse where Diego and Klaus have figured things out for themselves and have been together a few months. I had a lot of fun writing this crossover and may turn it into a 'verse eventually. Hope y'all enjoy! And if so, comment/kudos! :)

Eddie entered the rundown gym, still a bit unsure of how he’d found the place. After Lena had introduced him to the world of street fighting he felt like he could finally breathe in a way he hadn’t been able to for weeks. Everything with Buck had left him feeling confused, hurt and betrayed, so having an outlet for the anger within him (no matter how crazy or scary it might’ve felt to an outsider) was a relief.

But once his emotions weren’t running so high or rampant and logic formed a firmer grip on his mindset Eddie knew that he couldn’t continue fighting the way he had been. At least he couldn’t keep up the street fighting, no matter how much of an allure it held for him.

A little voice in the back of his mind kept reminding him that he had Christopher to think about in all of this. And as hard as he tried to deny it that voice sounded an awful lot like Buck.

So that’s how he’d ended up here in a gym that had very much surpassed the point of having seen better days. And the biggest draw for him personally was the boxing ring in the middle of the room.

Currently within the confines of the ring were two men. One had the typical stature and appearance of a fighter. His short, dark hair was spiked, his bare chest was heaving and glistening with sweat from his movements across the mat beneath his feet, while his hands weren’t only bloodied but bandaged in white tape. His counterpart was rail thin, had a mop of curly brown hair and was wearing leather pants, a green vest that legitimately looked like it’d seen time in ‘Nam or something (but that was ridiculous, right?) and a feather boa of all things. Eddie noticed that the guy not only had bare feet, but that he’d obviously taken the time to paint his toenails: black, which also matched the kohl around his wide, expressive eyes.

“Ooh, let’s go, big boy. I wanna dance,” the kohl-eyed man taunted, leering at the other man suggestively.

Eddie swallowed hard, averting his gaze, feeling like he was intruding on something private. He couldn’t shake the image of Buck having the very same expression in his eyes directed at Eddie on numerous occasions (minus the get-up and eyeliner of course… ‘cause yeesh). But nothing had developed between them as much as they’d been dancing around each other.

Eddie felt guilt consume him. Between that damn lawsuit of Buck’s and his own interest in the street fighting, Eddie hadn’t even given them a chance. If anything, he’d only helped the distance between them grow with his actions.

“Christ, Klaus. I knew it was a bad decision to invite you to come with me,” the other man growled, his eyes narrowing in Klaus’s direction.

“It’s not my fault your weakness is blowjobs, Diego,” Klaus retorted, cackling delightedly. “Especially when administered by me,” he continued, taking a few steps toward Diego.

Diego snorted, his eyes dancing in amusement, drawing closer to Klaus. “You’re insatiable,” he replied, his forehead resting against Klaus’s briefly before leaning forward, intent on kissing the other man.

Eddie had clearly heard and seen enough. Clearing his throat loudly he finally spoke up, interrupting the two men and whatever they were about to partake in. “Excuse me?” he asked warily, his face heating up in a blush.

“Who the fuck…?” Diego snarled, immediately rounding on him, pulling a knife seemingly from nowhere. 

“Whoa! Easy there, man. My name’s Eddie. I just…I was wondering if I could, maybe, I dunno, spar with you?” Eddie asked, holding his hands up in a defenseless manner, his voice growing more hesitant the longer he spoke, directing his question to Diego. This was a really, really, bad idea. But he kept talking, against his better judgment. “It’s just…I-I need this, you know? My life seriously started to suck when my wife died a few months ago. And then my co-worker…? He’s my best friend really. Well, he got seriously hurt on the job, so he had to go on these blood thinners for awhile which kept him from work. He and I are super close, and he-he adores my son, right? And I’ve been taking my son over to his place ever since the accident so the two of them can spend time together. But then…” he trailed off, his throat convulsing as he struggled to hold back his tears.

“Take your time, sweetheart,” Klaus advised softly as he and Diego climbed down from the ring. Eddie nodded in acknowledgement of Klaus’s advice, his body shuddering before he continued with his story, filling the two men in about the tsunami that had ripped through L.A. and everything that’d happened after, leading up to Buck’s lawsuit against the team, Christopher’s nightmares about the tsunami and his own need for an outlet which had culminated with the street fighting before he’d found this gym.

“Christ. You have been through the wringer, haven’t you?” Klaus sympathized.

“Can you help me?” Eddie begged softly, his attention shifting once again to Diego.

“Your wife died?” Diego murmured, his own gaze haunted. The man had obviously seen some crap too if Eddie had to guess. Eddie nodded again in response.

“And he’s clearly in love with his best friend,” Klaus surmised, winking at Eddie flirtatiously.

“What? No! I never-I never said that,” Eddie protested, his own voice sounding feeble to him as he struggled to come up with the words to prove Klaus’ theory wrong. “Will you help me or not?” he demanded of Diego, finally deciding ignoring Klaus was the best option.

Diego smirked in response to Eddie’s desperation. “Klaus is hardly ever wrong about these things.”

“Oh. Diego. You do care!” Klaus exclaimed in a loud whisper, clutching a fist against his heart.

Diego snorted, rolling his eyes. “Well, yeah. Do you know anybody else who’s willing to put up with your weird-ass shit on a regular basis?”

Klaus opened his mouth, evidently eager to provide an answer. But Diego quickly interjected, apparently anticipating Klaus’s train of thought. “Anyone alive, baby,” he murmured gently, attempting to alleviate the impact his words had on his partner, reasoning which Eddie wasn’t privy too. But if he had to hazard a guess, he figured Klaus had also seen some serious shit.

Klaus sighed heavily, giving Diego a cursory look. “I really could do worse than you,” he finally said. “In fact, I have,” he admitted, grinning shamelessly at Diego.

Diego’s jaw clenched and before Eddie knew what was happening the man had another knife in his hand and had whipped it across the room where it embedded itself into a wall. “Could we maybe not do this now? If I end up going after those assholes in your life, I’d be gone all night, Klaus. And then I wou-wouldn’t have the chance to help Eddie get his shit together.”

“Wait. You’re helping me?” Eddie asked, surprise coloring his voice just as relief flooded him as well.

Diego shrugged. “You say ‘helping’, I say ‘hiding’. But whatever helps you sleep at night, I guess.”

Ignoring the judgmental tone of Diego’s words, Eddie climbed into the ring after him. Diego didn’t know what he was talking about. Not really. And neither did Klaus. Eddie wasn’t running scared; he wasn’t hiding from his feelings for Buck. He didn’t…he wasn’t… He was facing his anger over everything head-on. And he was still plenty pissed. That much he knew.

Just as he was about to take a swing at Diego, Eddie’s attention shifted toward the front door as it swung shut. And his heart stuttered, seeming to lodge itself in his throat when he heard the familiar voice call out his name.

“Eddie? What the hell is going on? What’re you doing here?” Buck demanded, approaching them.

Eddie felt his entire body sag in relief at seeing the other man standing in front of him. He’d spent so much time being angry at Buck that he felt his muscles were permanently tightened with no sign of respite. But all it’d taken was the other man showing concern for him for the anger he’d grown comfortable feeling the past several weeks to dissipate. 

Climbing down from the ring, Eddie slowly drew closer to Buck. “I’m so sorry, Evan,” he murmured, pulling Buck into a hug.

“You’re sorry? Eddie, you shouldn’t be apologizing. I’m the one who’s sorry,” Buck told him. “After everything I’ve put the team through the past few weeks? And you and Christopher?”

“Jesus, Diego. They’re slower at admitting their feelings than you ever were,” Klaus said bluntly.

“Klaus!” Diego cried out, giving the other man a wounded look over his choice of words.

Eddie gave Buck a rueful smile before launching into an explanation of why he’d been street fighting in the first place before coming to the gym they were currently standing in.

“You were street fighting?! Dammit, Eddie, you do know that’s illegal, right? And what about Christopher, huh? Did you once think about him during all of this? He’s been through enough, don’t you think? Dammit!” Buck yelled, his chest heaving by the time he’d finished.

“Of course, I was thinking about Christopher! One of us had to be with your mess of a lawsuit destroying our family, Buck. That’s how I ended up here.”

“Yeah, because here’s so much better,” Buck retorted sarcastically.

“Hey!” Diego exclaimed indignantly.

Eddie breathed sharply through his nose. “What the hell was I supposed to do, Evan? You haven’t been around for weeks and Christopher…” he swallowed hard, avoiding making eye contact with Buck.

“And Christopher…what? What is it, Eddie? What aren’t you telling me?” Buck asked warily, his voice hoarse sounding when he spoke.

“Christopher, he-he, he’s been having nightmares about the tsunami. And you haven’t been there. He needs you, Buck. I-I need you,” Eddie stammered, his entire body trembling as Buck pulled him into another hug. “I’m so tired of being angry at you. At your choices,” he whispered.

“Then stop. Let it go, Eddie. Just let it go, okay? We’ve both been angry for too long. I’m not going anywhere, all right? I can’t disappoint you or Christopher like that again. I won’t. Promise,” Buck insisted firmly.

Eddie nodded into Buck’s shoulder before pulling back slightly so he could look the other man in the eyes. “I’ve missed you,” he replied, feeling yet another wave of tension leave him at the admission.

Buck leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. “I’ve missed you too.”

And then before either of them fully realized what was happening, they were kissing one another.

“Thank God!” Klaus exclaimed, clapping his hands together once in sheer delight. “With the way you two were going at it I thought we’d be here all night,” he groused half-heartedly.

Eddie reluctantly stepped back from Buck, his eyes and body equally flooded with warmth at the sight of Buck’s swollen lips. He flashed Diego and Klaus an apologetic smile. Klaus winked at him while Diego maneuvered a knife in between his fingers, finally giving Eddie a curt nod. Returning his attention to Buck, he took a hold of the other man’s hand in his own.  
“You ready to get home, Buck?”

“Absolutely. Two questions though. Who the hell were those guys, and should I be jealous?” Buck asked as Eddie led him by the hand toward the gym’s entrance.

Eddie shook his head, letting out a brief chuckle. “Relax, Buck. You have nothing to be worried about,” he said reassuringly, kissing the side of Buck’s head as they finally walked through the doors together.

THE END


End file.
